Adriano Panatta (born 9 July 1950) is an Italian former professional tennis player. He won the French Open in 1976, when he became the first Italian man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title.[2] Panatta was also the only player ever to defeat Björn Borg at Roland Garros,[3] doing so twice.
Panatta was born in Rome.[5] His father was the caretaker of the Tennis Club Parioli, and as a youngster he learned to play the game on the club's clay courts. He became a successful European junior player before turning professional.
The pinnacle of his career arrived in 1976, when he won the French Open defeating Harold Solomon in the final 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6. In the first round he had saved a match point against Czechoslovakian player Pavel Hutka. In the same year he also won the Italian Open, having saved 11 match points in his first round match against the Australian Kim Warwick, and beating Guillermo Vilas in the final (2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 7–6). He finished off 1976 by helping Italy capture its first-ever Davis Cup title, winning two singles and a doubles rubber in the final against Chile. He reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 that year.[6][7] Panatta remained the highest-ranking Italian tennis player in history until February 2024, when Jannik Sinner became No. 3;[8] Sinner went on to rank No. 1.[9]
Panatta is the only player to have defeated Björn Borg at the French Open. He achieved this feat twice – in the fourth round in 1973 (7–6, 2–6, 7–5, 7–6), and in the quarterfinals in 1976 (6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6), where he would go on to win the tournament. He also faced Borg at the semifinal stage of the 1975 tournament; Borg won on this occasion in four sets.[10]
Panatta was less successful on fast surfaces, especially on grass. His best performance at Wimbledon was in 1979, when he was beaten in the quarter-finals by Pat DuPré in five sets (3–6, 6–4, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3). In an interview many years later, Panatta remarked that it was the only match in his career he "regretted losing", and that he threw it away by playing a "bit cocky" and repeatedly losing concentration.[11]
After the 1976 Davis Cup triumph, Panatta helped Italy reach the Davis Cup final on three further occasions – in 1977, 1979 and 1980. The team lost to Australia in 1977, the United States in 1979, and to Czechoslovakia in 1980. Overall, Panatta compiled a 64–36 Davis Cup record (55–17 on clay).[12]
His final career singles title came in 1980 at Florence. He retired from the professional tour in 1983.
^The statistics differ from those provided by the official ATP website. The ATP site only partially lists Davis Cup matches played between 1977 and 1981, attributing only 22 match wins to Panatta instead of 37. Additionally, the ATP site incorrectly categorizes the 1981 Venice ATP tournament, where Panatta reached the quarter-finals, as a "Challenger." It also lists the 1968 Adelaide and Brisbane tournaments as "Open."
^"Sull'onda del massimo brivido" (in Italian). formulapassion.it. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021. Nel 1990 il campionato non venne assegnato – quando si sarebbe dovuta disputare la 3ª ed ultima manche che avrebbe assegnato il titolo all'equipaggio Adriano Panatta e Antonio Gioffredi – in segno di lutto per la morte del campione in carica Stefano Casiraghi, marito di Carolina di Monaco.
